Why do good things happen to bad people?

 I remember a yoga teacher giving a very powerful class, one of those meant to shake people out of the slumber of their minds. At some point, she said something that stayed with me: many very “bad” people end their lives in comfort, surrounded by success and security.

Her point was simple, but uncomfortable. We shouldn’t assume that doing good automatically guarantees good outcomes. And we shouldn’t expect that people who act badly will always be punished, an idea that belongs more to old movies than to real life. Reality is messier. And there are several reasons for that.

One of them is human complexity. One of the worst people I knew growing up - a real bully - is now a respected judge in a small town. Who would have imagined that? Maybe parts of that old behavior still exist somewhere inside him. But for his family, friends and community, he is seen as a good, honorable person.

The truth is uncomfortable: a “bad” person for you or me can be an “excellent” person for someone else, or at another stage of life.

Almost everyone, at some point, has asked this question: why do people who lie, manipulate or act selfishly sometimes seem to prosper - financially, socially or professionally - while others who try to live with integrity struggle? It can feel unfair, confusing, even discouraging, and I talked about it in a former post.

That is another reason: life does not operate on immediate moral accounting and results are not always synchronized with behavior. Someone may be highly skilled, confident or intelligent, and those qualities can bring external success regardless of inner values. In the short term, this type of efficiency can easily be mistaken for virtue.

A third reason is that there is also the illusion created by appearances. What we usually call “good things” are often external achievements: money, recognition, power, comfort. But outer success does not guarantee inner peace. Many people who look like they are “winning” are quietly dealing with anxiety, emptiness and broken relationships. We rarely see that part of the story.

At last, from a karmic perspective, the picture becomes wider. A person may be acting poorly now and still enjoying the fruits of positive actions from the past. Karma does not work like instant messaging; it works more like agriculture.

Imagine this: you planted broccoli seeds last week, but you also have an old mango tree in your garden. For a while, you will enjoy sweet mangoes. But don’t worry… the bitter broccoli is coming to you... A person who is enjoy a good life, maybe it is just a question of a stock of mangoes and their broccoli is not ready yet to be consumed.

But, in another tone, looking carefully, lasting fulfillment rarely belongs to those who harm others. Temporary gains fade and not wanting to sound cliché, but inner qualities - honesty, compassion, stability - create a kind of wealth that cannot be taken away.

So perhaps the better question is not why good things happen to “bad” people… but what kind of good we are talking about.

External success is loud and visible, while inner success is quiet and deep.

And in the end, life does not reward appearances; it responds to conscious acts, words and thoughts.
Sooner or later, what is planted within, mango or broccoli, is what grows.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

 

When I was a child, I often wondered why bad things seem to happen to people who are good. Over the years, I have been fortunate to meet many genuinely kind and decent individuals. And yet, unfortunately, I have also seen how fate has been unkind to some of them.

It is never easy to accept that someone who helps others, builds healthy families or work environments, and contributes positively to the community has to go through tragedy or deep loss. It feels unfair. Almost contradictory.

From my experience, this question can be looked at from three different perspectives.

First, it may simply be a matter of human perception. In reality, difficult events do not “choose” good or bad people. They just happen. Being a good person does not guarantee a life free of problems, just as being a bad person does not automatically attract only suffering.

Second, I have noticed that some good people are sometimes too good for their own good. They trust too easily, accept what others say without questioning, open their doors assuming everyone thinks and feels the same way, or step into risky situations relying only on prayer, without enough awareness or protection. This does not explain everything, of course, but it does offer part of the answer.

Third, there is the law of karma. What happens to us is not limited to this single lifetime. Someone may have created many positive karmic accounts in this life, but what about previous ones? Karma moves across births. A good present life does not necessarily mean the past was the same. In that sense, today’s goodness may be planting the seeds for a brighter future - even if challenges still appear now.

There is one important point to be added: altruism and selflessness. I have lived in community for almost forty years, and the spirit of service has deeply shaped my life. The inner feeling it creates is powerful and difficult to describe. Yet I am also aware that serving others does not guarantee that problems will never come.

In the spiritual classes I read daily, there is a beautiful idea: we should feel free from obstacles, knowing that obstacles will still come. This means that when service is truly altruistic, there is an inner sense of protection - like finding shelter during a hurricane. The storm may continue outside, but inside there is stability.

And if we look at history, with a few exceptions, many good people who went through difficult times eventually ended up well - at least in their hearts. This is visible in their legacy, their influence and even in the lives of those who came after them.

In other words, bad things may happen to good people, but at least their qualities become their shelter in the worst moments.

You get by giving, not by taking

There is a spiritual law most people know: the law of karma. Well, at least people do mention karma when they have an accident, someone is disturbing them or they lose an amount of money.

Sorry, karma is more than that and it can be good too, pleasant and interesting.

But, OK, let’s think of the broccoli-tasted karma that we have to settle; there is a spiritual principle that works in a wonderful way. GIVING IS IN RECEIVING.

The principle implies that anytime someone gives, they are receiving and it helps to settle the “broccolic” karma, but what does it mean and how to do it?

All starts from the consciousness. Whenever there is something to do that is clearly associated with karma settling, think of how to contribute instead of taking.

The reason is that whenever you receive something, another subtle karma is created and, one day, you will have to give back; on the contrary, if you give something instead of receiving or taking, you break that process and open a possible resolution.

A simple example: an old friend comes and starts to insult you. Instead of receiving the insults, you focus on remembering the good moments together and appealing to that friendship, a way of giving. Slowly, the friend calms down and this challenge ends.

It requires lots of self-control a clear objective in mind, in terms of what to do in relation to this situation, but it works. And it is worthwhile; you may save a friendship by changing the way of responding.

Next time the karma collector knocks at your door, remember this spiritual principle.

Secrets of the universe for the common person

The Universe is huge and sometimes, we look so small… So, we, as human beings, decide to unveil its secrets.

The secrets of the Universe make life interesting and it can really improve quality life. Let’s work on a few of those secrets, taking into account my secrets are not the same as yours.

Probably the first secret is that everything we do, comes back. It is the basis of karma law and it means all we do, speak or even think, all of that is a seed that one day it will reap. So, be careful about the present and the future you want will come to you at the right time.

There is a second secret related to the first one, that gives a new dimension about karma, reincarnation. Maybe you don’t believe it, but it gives life more meaning and it makes more sense, because when we finally depart from this life, we will have a new opportunity to correct, to help others and to be a different person.

There are plenty of laws related to reincarnation and by understanding them, life is better since we will realize what is really important and what is not. Another big secret…

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. That is a huge secret, ignored by many people, even when they know it. By shifting the focus of life from material to spiritual, self-transformation is an easy consequence.

The last secret to be shared is about God, His place and His role at this time. I believe in God as an eternal incorporeal being, whose role is to help Earth to move towards a new age, a real Golden Age.

What about you? What are the secrets you have learnt along the way?

Secrets of reincarnation

Since I was a child, I have believed in reincarnation. For me it is like a car: it works, even though I don’t have any idea how it does. Or I didn’t…

Reincarnation has given me responses to many things that happen and for it, its concept and application can change lives completely.

When I came into a spiritual path, the Brahma Kumaris, I learned several secrets about reincarnation that shed even more light, and I am sharing them here:

I will start with the impact of being aware on the present life; there are two main impacts I would like to highlight. The first one is the fact that we start to think more GLOBALLY as reincarnation implies the person could have lived in different places, have belonged to different religions and even have had bodies of multiple colors, genders, etc.

The second impact I see on people who are aware of their past lives is that COINCIDENCES change into incidences, by giving an explanation for strange things that take place or, at least, it turns life more interesting.

By knowing about reincarnation, I can design my next life. Reincarnation laws are variable from one school of philosophy to another, but in general, they are associated to karma laws. So, whatever an individual does, speaks or even thinks, that will come back to them and probably, in their next life. In this line of thoughts, if anyone wants to have a good (next) life, be a good person and do good things.

On the other hand, those of us who know about reincarnation, we understand punishment very well. It is the same as the former point, but focus on the bad actions, word and even thoughts we perform. As we will have to live their fruit in our next life, we should live this life in a stage of awareness.

A last secret is related to relationships and that is they are mostly defined by karmic laws. That means we have probably met our relatives, close friends and other people who impact us in former lives. I like the focus of Brahma Kumaris, particularly in this aspect, which is instead of thinking this person is a karma, I can create a healthy relationship with everyone, assuring that when we meet again in our next lives, the meeting will be sweet instead of sour.

I do hope these secrets help you to live better and if you really don’t believe in reincarnation, I guess these can be used as tips for your life.